This site will point you to places you've never been to before.
You'll also be introduced to films (ratings from 1- 5), festivals, music, getaways travel, restaurants and much more. Commentaries and amusing anecdotes may pop up.
I really welcome your comments at the bottom of each article.
So join me on the ride into the rugged and the luxurious.
We all need to discover open borders in the world and in ourselves.
S.N.

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Lake Winnipesaukee's vast 72 square miles (44,000 acres with a depth of 4000 feet) is one of
the New Hampshire’s
most famous loon-laden lakes. Not surprisingly, it becomes a playground during the summer.But camps, cottages and the few permanent
residents need to get their mail. Most of these folks are staying on one of the
lake's 240 habitable islands. In total, there are 365 islands of which 274 are
navigable. The depth of this wondrous lake is 4000 feet.

One frequent visitor, carrying a special load, floats into view every
day from June 15th until September 2nd. It’s the M/V
Sophie C. It stops at two YMCA Camps, another smaller camp, several island
associations, and all kinds of stops – dropping off packages and letters, along
with lots of ice cream for the many residents.

This unique pontoon with its lower and outside deck of seats for
tourists has been doing this for decades. It’s the only one of its kind in the USA; and
although I am no mailman, it’s one ride I didn’t want to miss. So I boarded the
boat and sat next to three huge bags stuffed with letters.

What a great way to enjoy the lake while getting lots of information
from Captain Paul Smith who’s been doing this for 31 years. His trusty
assistant Betty was there to do the book keeping.

We passed several islands: Rattlesnake Island,
Bear Island,
Long Island, even an 1860’s former grist mill
that stands like a pointed steeple on one island. You can see it from the boat.
At each wharf, we were always greeted by happy campers.

The itinerary was mapped carefully. Here’s what I enjoyed: Captain Smith
would dock the mail boat, and residents standing on the dock seemed to put on a
show – jumping off tall steeple poles they had climbed at the wharf – counting
1,2,3; or simply waving to us all as we arrived and as we left.

The entire two-hour trip was so much fun – thanks to Captain Smith's
joking and eagerness for us to come up and talk to him and Betty. “We don’t
just deliver the mail, we deliver a party," he said.

I learned a lot about Lake Winnipesaukee,
but most of all I had a darn good time out on this beautiful lake with all the
folks on board. We left from Weirs Beach
at 2 pm. But there’s also a morning departure at 11 am.

You can buy your ticket before
departure at the booth, or order it on line at: www.cruiseNH.com

Saturday, July 30, 2016

I was at the Darby line Quebec/Vermont border on my way to New Hampshire border.
Feeling keen to get to Sutton House B& B in Harbor
City, and excited about meeting finally meeting the
folks at the Loon Preservation Committee that booked me on a loon cruise on Squam Lake.
My enthusiasm was about to be squashed.

I was in the slowest moving line, and when I got to the agent, it cam
eto a long halt.

Leaning out his window, the young twenty-something customs agent took my
passport, and looked at me askance.

He began to bombard me with a load of questions about the fact that I
was traveling alone – a woman driving far and alone. I could hear the wheels
(or should I say rocks in his head) turning. He paused, and I said I often
drive alone. "Do you know the Gatineau
region?” N was his answer. Well I spent my summers there with a pump, an outhouse
and fishing with my dad. I have that in my blood. Being alone is in my way. He
seemed perplexed, even fascinated.

He changed the subject: he asked
me where I was headed and I told him a loon cruise in the lake region. He
paused, and then asked if I knew anyone in New Hampshire or had documents to prove
where I was going. I hadn’t taken the email bookings showing the friendly banter
between the people I was to meet up with, but I replied that I hoped to meet my
B &B host and the cruise biologist, and that perhaps a friendship might
form.

He then asked me a series of quiz
type questions: “When was the last time you were in the States?” I asked if he
meant stopping through an airport of visiting a city? I thought I was in a
quiz show, and he said, like a quiz host, “the airport”. I said, "I think it was
Orlando or Miami coming back from Mexico". I got
the date right, but the year wrong. Oops! He looked like a teacher scolding a
student when he held up my passport pointing to March of this year. How could I have forgotten? I was in San Miguel launching me new novel. I apologized.

Then he asked me what I did for a living. I referred to my retirement as
a teacher. I did not mention my writing career. That would have surely put me
in jail.

“Put your car in park and pop the trunk,” he demanded, and then the
weirdest thing happened. My lovely car refused to move into ‘park’. The stick shift
was locked; it was on Drive and my foot was on the break. He began giving me
a driving lesson - telling me to keep my foot on the break (which it already was on obviously). I panicked telling
him I could not move the shift. Instantly I saw my cruise plans going up in
smoke. Was my car on the blitz? He came out and looked in the trunk. There was
nothing there of course. Still persistent, he asked if I had alcohol or food on
me - a question he was supposed to ask me in the first place, I thought.

Another long pause, and then the man showed his complete ignorance. He
really wanted the answer to the question he was about to ask. Like a wide –eyed
child, out came his question – nothing to do with customs: “What’s a loon?” I
then proceeded to imitate the “whah whah” sound of the beloved bird. He looked
puzzled. I then told him about the Canadian loony – the one-dollar coin with a
loon on one side.I was the teacher.
Then with a big smile he said “Have a nice trip, Nancy.”

It took me a good half hour to
recover form his interrogation, and I had spent a half hour with him – already
having to wait one hour to reach his window.

Coming back into Quebec, I had not one
ounce of trouble. A simple where are you from and what was the purpose of your
trip. A smile came on his face, and said – off you go!”

Friday, July 29, 2016

What a fabulous
menu of American cuisine – the best of it. Gary Chaffee, the chef is simply
cooking up quality ribs, pasta, seafood and several of your chicken favourites
using an unparallel palette-pleasing assortment of flavours. I was delighted to
see that gluten-free dishes were on this menu in both the main dishes and
appetizers. That’s rare, and it shows that the concept behind the creation of
the dishes is sophisticated and mindful of health. Sitting at the lakeside
restaurant of Squam Lakes was relaxing and wholly fitting to the royal food I
chose to have. I ordered the Ahi-tuna starter on a crispy won-ton adorned with
tiny strips of seaweed topped with a crescent of avocado. Deliciously
addictive!

Then came my clam chowder soup that was thick
and oh so satisfying; it is freshly made. A thick hunk of brisket arrived as
another appetizer on a sweetish bun. Tender and subtly flavoured, this filling
creation was original. Diving into a key lime pie perfectly suited my dessert
yen. It was so irresistible, I wanted the recipe. I then and sinfully admit I
wanted to taste their dessert specialty – though the menu offered an
embarrassment of royal choices. This was a bumble berry pie with whipped cream
and ice cream on the plate. The sweet raspberries, rhubarb, apples and
blueberries filled me until I waddled out like the docks swimming on the lake.

By the way,
their exotic coffees with alcohol are the best I have ever tasted in my
travels. The Mad River
beans (the name of the coffee) are ground freshly in nearby Campton – a coffee
coup for New Hampshire’s
lake region. The wine list is just right, and their drinks have names that
sport humour and originality to reflect their concoctions; some are named after
islands in Lake Winnipesaukee. I hear the
Rattlesnake is to die for (no pun intended) Come by boat or on land; or even if
you have to swim to get there, Walter’s Basin offers bounteous feasting.

In Centre Harbor, New Hampshire
– a popular but casual resort spot in New
Hampshire’s lake region, the Bay Restaurant is the
one to put on your place-to-eat-list. Here, the world becomes your oyster, for
aside from the exciting choices of unique gourmet burgers, delightful
appetizers and savoury salads, including the Bay’s notable noodle one with an
awesome oriental mix; a healthy fruit and nut number creation, and other
wonderful healthy selections – it is clear that at the Bay, fish rules! It’s
featured in three of the four major categories on the menu. In the main meal
section, seven of the eight offerings dazzle in title alone: fisherman’s
platter. Gluten free Maryland
crab cakes, maple glazed tips and shrimp sautee. The dazzling BBQ by the Bay
whose ribs come with Jack Daniels BBQ wings, fried shrimp and cole slaw is a
bounteous indulgence. And the list goes on.

My dining
companion, Thais St Clair, owner of Sutton House B & B knows about
quality cooking. She selected the grilled salmon salad from the Greens
category. Flavoured with a sassy fruit salsa. The salmon was tender, and she
highlighted her enjoyment of the champagne vinaigrette.

I ordered the evening’s
specialty: halibut Oscar with fresh lump crab, meat and asparagus topped with
Hollandaise. Zucchini, dainty string beans, carrots and flavoured with herbs
created a superb dish. The presentation was gorgeous; the green olive oil
speckled with red paprika added beauty. The portion was huge, and the
satisfaction level too.

My waitress,
Hannah, recommended the Chateau St Michelle – a chardonnay. It was a fine
match. For dessert, I went to sin city with a dark chocolate with white
chocolate imbedded in it, whipped cream and salted caramel truffle gelato.
Thais chose the white chocolate chip raisin bread pudding. I snuck a taste.
Wow!

The Bay restaurant
is open for its gourmet breakfasts and lunches. It also delivers, but you’ll
just have to travel to Centre Harbor in New
Hampshire to get the goods. I’m not surprised that
Amy Elfline’s penchant for quality and taste is reflected in the restaurant she
owns with her husband, Paul. (She’s also a real estate agent for Lamprey in Centre Harbor,
and I’ve seen her houses renovations).

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Allen has traveled back in time to the 1930’s whose famous actors
(iconic movie names are dropped in this film – though we never meet them) are
steered by the producer Phil Dorfman (smartly played by Steve Carrell). He’s a
real big shot who takes under his wing his nephew Bobby (played y Jesse Eisenberg) with appropriate angst that
obviously is referencing Allen himself). Naïve, romantic Bobby has left New York and his humble family
to hit the Hollywood Hills in the hope of making something of his life. Here he
falls in love with Phil’s secretary, Vonnie (played with lackluster enthusiasm
by Kristen Stewart).

Sadly, unbeknownst to Bobby, shy and modest Vonnie has a
huge secret hidden up her sleeve – that in the end takes over the film; the
remainder of the plot is largely built on a love gone amiss story. Irony and
coincidence totally turn romance on its toes; Bobby gets the shock of his life,
but he moves on to become a big time partner with his gangster uncle Ben who has opened up a posh nightclub in New York.

The great parts in this film are stolen in the side story of Bobby’s
gangster brother Billy, along with Bobby’s two parents who get out the laugh
lines in the script. Jewish humour accounts for the greatest laugh lines in the
film

One can only surmise that the
reason for this film may be that Allen has been hit with an enormous hunk of
nostalgia of an era long gone that he once experienced. Bobby portrays Allen
without a doubt, but the film lacks punch and purpose. The ending scene offers
a corny close-up on the two once-lovers (now living in different cities)
looking dreamy-eyed as they think about one another (New Year’s Eve has just
rung its bell). Both are at parties, lost in their own thoughts about the
romance they once shared together. The fade-away is even cornier. Clearly, Allen’s
sentimentality is allowed at his age (80) – as he too thinks back about his own
youth now lost to those days. Thus far, the film has grossed seven million
dollars – not exactly a box-office runaway.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

This moving cinematic masterpiece is a dramatically daunting story of
father/son acrimony that pits King Yeonjo against his second son, Prince Sado.
Set in the 18th-century during the Joseon era, this historical work
reflects a true shameful event in Korean history that lasted for some 35 years. King
Yeonjo finds his artistic son a sorry disappointment. He is not interested in
rules and decorum and dress etiquette, and so this rule-ridden royal leader deprives
him of any kind of love, and ends up putting him in a box to starve. He dies on
the eight day. The king ensures Sado goes down in history as no traitor –
though he did consider taking his father’s life – but as a lunatic. This
protects the continuation of the throne in the family and its integrity. This
is a family fraught with power-hungry obsessions, mental illness and cruel
actions of retribution that even those trying to save the prince endured makes
this epic period piece a lingering Korean classic whose themes resonate far
beyond Korea.
The Throne garnered multiple awards
in 2105, including best actresses, music, lighting – you name it – this film
nabbed the honours. It was screened at New York’s
Asian Film Festival and at Montreal’s
Fantasia Festival in 2016.

Food fans are going to fall for Pedro (no he’s not a Latin lover), just
a pretty app for your cell phone that points the way to a great food truck
serving up grand specialties in your Montreal area. What a great idea! Brain child of Gaëlle Cerf and Guy-Vincent Melo – co-founders ofARRQ, the Association des restaurateurs de
rue de Québec (Quebec Food Truck Association) are providing 58 member trucks
for residents of and visitors to Quebec cities; many are parked in Montréal high volume neighborhoods.

Press on the Pedro app to locate your favourite one parked right in your
area. Don’t be tricked into thinking, it’s a truck stop for fast food. Not at
all! Premier quality food whose recipes as remarkable as your grandma’s are at
your fingertips now with Pedro, and many of these trucks reflect some of the
gourmet food served in their respective restaurants.

But not all trucks offer their own restaurant, so this is a great way to
banish your famished side right on the street. Pedro not only locates
restaurants for you, but lets you view the menu real fast and easily. “It’s a
personal food-shopping assistant that knows you tastes, alerts you when one of
your favourite food trucks is nearby, and even has a look-ahead feature to let
you know which trucks are scheduled to be near your workplace,” said Gaëlle
Cerf.

So here’s my look at three of the trucks that came for the PEDRO launch.
First off, the food is crazy good and super healthy. I tasted delicious Mexican
offerings from Mi Corazon’s tempting truck menu. Each sampling was tasty true
to Mexican menu flavours. Using spices from Mexico, I sampled spicy Mexican
sausages, dishes flowing with fabulous frijoles and cheese, corn dogs and
Chipotte with fries and mayo. The names of the dishes are a hoot, such as
Poutine “Dirty Martinez” and “Taco Donald Trump”

As Rafael describes says, the latter: “It’s mainly tongue and a little bit of brain”
This dish is so original: pickled onion, beef tongue, tartar sauce, boiled egg,
guacamole and capers. It’s probably the only place where Trump could win
popularity! Lemon and strawberry and hibiscus drink was delicious. Eight
exceptional dishes were served from Mi Corazon. Head chef, Rafael Martinez, whose
parentage is both Mexican and French Canadian, is a “ multiple taco beau
creator” – four different ones offered
the day of the launch from the Mi Carazon truck.

Then I moved over for more freshness and savoury tastings at the Landry et Filles truck. I was handed the beautiful buckwheat crepe I sampled. The
buckwheat is grown in New Brunswick.
My demure crepe was cooked on one side, making it single-sided crusty and on
the other uncooked side – it was tender and soft. Fennel and lovely herbs
topped salmon. Capers, salad, cream cheese and caviar accented the entire
creation, and it was outstanding –and
all this from a truck. I also was served this stunning lemon cookie square
covered in a sweet lemony hard coating. It was a royal winner.

Finally, Super truck offers an
assortment of great of…..Well, I’ll let that be your taste bud, served from-the
truck surprise!

Pedro is “geolocatable” street
food. It is available from the Apple Store and Google Play. Go get it, and
enjoy your favourite food from a fun truck.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Neither fame nor fortune can change those born
with goodness in their hearts anda soul
full of family love.

There are some things that
happen to you that only the goddess of surprise can arrange. N.S.

Such is the stuff that fills this
anecdote. About 29 years ago, shortly after I moved to Montreal
from England, I gave a
one-hour/one-time piano lesson at a private school across the street in Westmount. I recall 10
hands of kids were at the keyboard playing at the same time; it was a group
lesson. I never did ask the names of the kids. I teach privately, so this
lesson resembled a Barnaby Circus act.

That evening, I received a call from a woman named Kate McGarrigle. I
had no idea who she was, but was taken aback when she revealed that her son,
Rufus knew my first name and kept talking about me. I was waiting for a litany
of complaints to spew out of her; as mentioned – that piano lesson was anything
but impressive. Kate McGarrigle asked me to come and live in her home while she
went on tour with her sisters. Kate told me she was a singer and often
performed in Canada
with her sister Anna. They were and still are a family of artistic genius that
unites.

Of course, I apologized for never
having heard of her, and offered some lame excuse that I was a nerdy newcomer
to Montreal – a piano teacher who was out of
touch with the Montreal
folk scene. I love children, and she seemed to be serious about this, so I
consented. I felt honoured by her trust in me.

So, I ended up living in her home
and doing all the things she instructed me to do, including giving Rufus some
piano lessons on their grand piano, and ensuring both children were fed, and
got off to school ok. I enjoyed my time with these adorable children. I recall
that the tour seemed longer than two weeks; it was in the early 80s. It was so
long ago.

There was one gaff though that sticks out in my memory.

One day, a man came to the door wanting to be let in. But Kate was
adamant that I let no one in other than her sisters.

Through the door, I told the man in a loud voice that I was not given
permission to allow him entry or anyone else.

When he yelled, it’s their father, Loudon Wainright, and Rufus
immediately assured me it was ok, I did. I suspect no one ever treated Mr.
Wainwright in such a brusque manner. But I was just doing my “job.” Still, I
felt rather ashamed.

What a joy it was for me to see Rufus and Martha again,over three decades later – bothenjoying their stunning careers – both astoundingly
original artists, and both still bondedas sister and brother. (This was evident at the festival press
conference). I had the great pleasure to hear them perform in their own
concerts at this time.

Their stage presence, unique voices and compositions (Rufus presented
segments of his beautiful opera, Prima
Donna and sang as well – his piano playing is wizardly wonderful); Martha
astounded me with the various tonal textures in her voice, her confidence and
passion. I recall she was a shy little girl. Her half-sister Lucy also sang
with her. So beautiful, one realizes this is a family born into music and the
legacy continues. I feel humbled by having seen a side of these artists – short
as the time was - when they were children.

Neither fame nor fortune can change those born
with goodness in their hearts and a soul full of family love.

Whether they remembered me or not (Rufus seemed to recall it, mentioned
the street), I really do not know; nor do I care – to be frank. What generosity
they have; they were so gracious and kind when I spoke to them after their
interview. Fame had not changed them.

Some reading this may accuse me of name dropping, trying to pluff up my
own writing career even my sporadic singing performances. Not so! We often forget that artists are human
beings who are not averse to speaking to those of us who plod along, living
normal humdrum lives, seeing again people you haven’t seen in ages brings a
distinctly unique feeling of both joy and nostalgia. I felt humbled and happy
to see how successful they had become without losing their home-spun gentleness
and generosity – surely inherited from their late mother who had shown me her
gentle trusting way those many, many years ago in more ways than one: upon
returning from the tour, she insisted on giving me front row tickets to their
concert, and she invited me to one of their rehearsals at another home. I felt
so awkward and shy.

And to think that this all came about because of a single piano lesson
with five kids playing at the same time!

Azogires: one more bizarre
name, one more tiny little village lost somewhere in the Cretan mountains in
Southwest Crete high above Paleochora – a beautifulseasidetown inChania Prefecture.

Azogires is a village that will not attract
your attention when looking at the map, but if you go, avoid doing so at night
when there’s a full moon: fairies anticipate the coming of visitors; they will
enchant you but also steal your their voice.

Azogires is an eerie village. Locals can’t tell you for sure how many people really live
in Azogires. The population census ranges between 40 and 400, depending on if
you include the doves that carry the souls of the 99 Holy Fathers that lived
here some centuries ago, or the flying cows that carry out their flights in the
sky every night at 9.p.m.

It isn’t surprising that Azogires is known
for its supernatural occurrences. After all, this is where St.
John the Hermit lived. You can visit the cave he occupied for most of his life.

St.
John wasn’t
completely alone in his wide-mouthed hermit cave. Azogires was also blessed
with the saint’s followers: 98
Holy Fathers came here to follow the teachings of their saintly hermit
leader. One suspects that each of these fathers possessed powers beyond the
ability of most ordinary folk. Ponder this: how many people are capable of
living in a cave for more than a night?

The bones of the 99 Holy
Fathers are kept in this box and they are supposed to have healing powers. These Holy Fathers spent their lives in a
cave when not performing religious deeds on lower ground at Azogires. Those
wishing to feel their presence can visit their cavernous domain.

As you behold the entrance to the dwelling
where these great spiritual men once lived some 700 years ago, you must know
this story: though the corporal beings of these 98 Fathers have vanished, their
souls haven’t.Azogires inhabitants attest to their
spiritual presence in the afterlife in the form of 98 doves. These feathered
friends appeared right after the death of the Fathers and continue to inhabit
the cave. With your imagination in high gear, and your feet high above the village,
it is not difficult to believe all the bizarre stories that float around
Azogires.

Haunted Houses and Flying Cows

Are there 40 or 400 inhabitants of Azogires?
The number seems to change depending on whom you ask. Evidently, Azogires
residents are as elusive as the ghosts that circulate within in village areas.There is no such thing as an ordinary stream,
an ordinary valley or an ordinary house.One house in particular has a ghost that
prevents all women from bearing children, and if a family moves in their kids
die. Azogires folk say this really happened.Others claim to see in the forest near the
monastery flying creatures that resemble cows. They supposedly appear every
night at 9:00.

The Naiades’ Pool in Azogires. Can you see
any?

About five minutes on foot past Azogire’s
Alfa Kafenion, you’ll see on the left side of the road a path leading to Anidri
village, and alongside this path, you’ll hear rushing water.

Descend to the watery spring that tumbles
over rocks and creates successive pools for dipping into. You may feel you are
quite alone, but if you go there at midnight, other eyes may be watching you.They are not those of other bathers, for you
are alone – or so you think. In fact, the bewitching midnight hour in Azogires
brings Naiades to this little river in which you are bathing. You must not look
for them or at them. Nor should you speak to one, for they will steal your
voice. (Perhaps that is why the Holy Fathers used to gather here to pray before
night descended).

These river nymphs adore freshwater and
though they were chosen by the goddess Artemis – hunter and protector of nature
– unlike her, they are immortal. The 20 that flit about Azogires’ little river
knew grand company. They used to sit in on the Greek Gods’ discussions on Mount Olympus.
So being in such illustrious company cannot be all that bad.There is a fairy-like feel to this watery
nook. I felt inconspicuous, pleasantly odd – like a little nymph myself
swimming there. No one in Azogires will admit to having seen one of these five
different types of Naiades, but isn’t it strange that some people in Azogires
never speak. They nod, smile, frown and offer food without a word. Could it be
the Naiades, not the cat got their tongue?! But can you see a fairy?

To Believe or Not to Believe

I was a non-believer for the first few days
in Azogires. But something so uncanny, truly bizarre occurred, that from that
moment on, I began to rethink all the haunts I had visited in the past few
days.Were those dragon flies by the nymph stream
really turquoise and emerald green or was it my sun glasses? Were the bees
really that big and why are they brown? Why did that brown animal that was half
goat and deer suddenly appear at my side when I got lost on a mountain path?
What about that really weird yellow bulbous flower that looked like an
inanimate alien?

No need for Raki wine to get high in
Azogires

I
thought I was imagining things – maybe I had too much raki, too much sun, too
many stories. Then the strangest event happened in a heartbeat. After making
the dangerous ascent with a friend up to the Holy Fathers
Cave, we both took
reprieve, standing on a safe flat area to enjoy the panoramic view of
Azogires’s awesome nature – most notably the dramatic promontories pounded with
boulders in the form of humongous human faces!

I felt elated. We were finally above it all.
We felt powerful yet inspired. My companion took my hand, and I dared to let a
strange idea enter my head. “What a lovely place to get married. It would be
nice to bring a priest up here if ever the time comes,” I thought to myself.Just then, in an instant, both us collapsed
to the ground, falling exactly at the same time both on our rear ends in the
exact same position, feet aligned with one another. We could have been a single
entity. It was as if one of the Holy Fathers had pushed us full force from
behind. We fell quickly and simultaneously without any warning. There we were
standing silently and comfortably on the safest part one moment – then pulled
down the next moment – dashed to the ground. We were humbled and spooked.No doubt, you too will have your own story to
tell after you visit Azogires. Take your pick: how about haunted houses, flying
cows and Holy men long gone, but still remaining!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Although
the intimacy of nature in the seaside Japanese village of Kamakura
reflects the beauty of the three sisters’ bond in director's Hirokazu Koreeda’s 2015 film, it
suffers from sentimentality; the story is soaked in syrupy scenes and flawed
unlikely events.

Deep scars
have carved some bitterness in Sachi, the oldest sister (stoically acted by
Haruka Ayase) who has assumed the den mother role. The father, now passed had
left his daughters for another woman, and their own mother then abandoned the
children (this part of the plot is revealed in a confusing manner). The father
had Suzu, another daughter who is about 14 when the film opens up. At her
father’s funeral, Sachi invites her to come live with the sisters, and she
does.

Sweet and
idyllic, their life unfolds, and reconciliation has its final rewards when the
sisters’ mother suddenly appears on the scene to attend a family friend’s
funeral.

The film
was based on the manga series; the story’s delivery is surely entrancing in
magnificent manga animation from, but as a realistic film, it moves as slowly
as the caterpillars in the plum trees by their seaside house.

Relationship
films without credible and pithy drama risk the telescope effect – we stare out
at the screen, waiting for something
exciting to happen. An interior-looking piece of majestic beauty with lovely music, it
nevertheless lacks punch. Not a tear or chuckle was shed by the audience during
its press screening in Montreal.
Although I like plum wine, it spilleth over too much in this film too much was
much in the ffilm. But it did receive a five-star rating when selected to
compete for the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

What a
pity that the rain came down opening night of the Lanaudière
Festival as it kicked off its 37th
season on July 9. Perhaps, God simply wanted to get in on the “act”: the
performance started with La
Tempête, Fantaisie symphonique, op.18 by Tchaikovsky.

Conducted
by Gregory Vajda, the Lanaudière FestivalOrchestra displayed
a great sensitivity for the composition. Wondrous images of the sea
and the elements above came flooding into our imagination; such was
the brilliant nuances delivered by his conducting and the musicians.
So many varied conditions of the sea played before us.

Mr.
Alain Lefèvre then took to the ivories on the grand Yamaha piano to
perform surely one of the most difficult concerts ever written:
Tchaikovsky’s Concerto
for piano No 1 in B Flat minor, op. 23.

Mr.
Lefèvre’s passion was expressed to its fullest; something few
artists can do with this whirl-wind work. Staggering, near impossible
feats of hyper-rapid ascending and descending octaves, along with the
sudden quick cross-over of hands – just to mention two of the many
super human demands made upon any pianist. And no matter his/her
finger dexterity, few pianists are able to triumphantly master such
inherent technical terror.

In
fact, when the composer first presented it to the conductor, Nicolai
Rubenstein on Christmas Eve, 1874, his response was: “It’s
unplayable.” He also said: “worthless”.

Of
course, the entire world disagrees with that comment, and how lucky
we all were to hear the great last night with Mr. Lefèvre giving it
such extraordinary exuberance with Herculean technical prowess.

Intermission
brought us the composer’s Romeo
and Juliette overture-fantasy played with great feeling by the
Lanaudière Festival Orchestra.

Finally,Ottorino Respighi’s
Feste Romaines offered
a panoply of percussive and varied instrumental excitement as the
work conjured up the clatter of public events: Circus Maximus,
celebrations, the hunt during October and the cacophony and roar of
the night with street life vendors and a rustic atmosphere of
rudimentary goings-on. Even the barrel-organ has its “say” in
this incredibly dashingly frantic piece.

After
his performance,as Artistic ambassador of
the festival, Mr. Lefêvre
stated he was touched that we all came out in the rain to attend the
opening night. I wouldn’t have missed it – rain or shine.

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S.N. writer, poet and musician

A bit and a lot about S.N.

An international award-winning travel journalist, S.N. has written features for over 50 publications – many translated into French, Spanish and Greek. Her children’s book Les 5 Sens en Folie was nominated for a Mr. Christie Award, and her poetry/short storycollection,Beyond the dream: Epic Solitude received praise from CBC Radioand the international film producer, A. J. Virmani.S.N. holds 4 university degrees (Deans list), and is a classical pianist and songwriter with 3Cds out. An intrepid traveler, who has done archaeology in Greece, worked as a journalist there, acted professionally in its amphitheatres, and interviewed prominent artists from the country, S.N. looks forward to sharing her reviews and adventures with readers. She writes honestly and with wit. Her recent novel, Floating on Lily Pads made headlines on radio and TV.

FLOATING ON LILY PADS

SN's new novel is sure to thrill you. You can purchase it on Kindle or leave your request in any comment box.